Mark, Henry and God

I’m kind of a morning person. I was never the kid whose mom had to drag him out of bed kicking and screaming. I like waking up, getting up and getting my day started.

But not as much as Henry. He’d get up at 4:30 and take off around the block with me in rain, snow, sleet or a firestorm. He loves the morning.

One of the things that I love most about getting up is seeing how happy he is that I am up. He is elated that I’ve finally decided to get up and take advantage of this new day with him (even if FINALLY is 5:30 AM) . He runs around, stretches, gives me some sniffs, huffs and puffs. He delights in my presence.

In a way, it’s probably a bit blasphemous to compare your dog to God. But yesterday, Pastor Mark’s lesson was so simple and yet so powerful. No histrionics. No theatre. No razzmatazz. Just a simple message from Isaiah 62:

“No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah (which means ‘my delight is in her’), and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.”

I heard him say it Saturday night, and it made me feel so good that I made it a point to hear it again two times on Sunday. And it never got old to me. And it never will. The simple message that God loves me, takes delight in me – even more than Henry in the morning – is enough to get me through anything.

Darden Smith

Tonight, after 5:21 Saturday, I had a great guys “early night” out with two of my very best friends – Lance and Jim. (Notice, I’m writing this post before 11:00 PM – no late nights for me anymore.) To my recollection, the three of us have never been out together. I’m not that big on guys nights outs. But these are two really good friends – and as my favorite writer Bill Bryson once penned, “I found myself enjoying it immensely.”

We went to the Evening Muse and saw Darden Smith in concert. If you don’t know Darden, pick up some of his music. He’s an Austin-based singer-songwriter who just writes great music. His voice is very distinct.

There’s one lyric from Darden’s song “Loving Arms” that I really like:

“Count the bad, count the good. And all I wouldn’t change even if I could.”

That’s a pretty good way to approach life, I think.

Owls on the Comeback

Remember the owl in the morning that I wrote about a week or two back?

Well, in the newspaper today, owls are back in a big way. Since Charlotte is an urban forest, it turns out to be an excellent habitat for owls. According to Charlotte’s chief ornithologist (I’d call him the “Big Bird Guy”), there are 200 nesting pairs within a five-mile radius of Trade and Tryon. Add in immature adults and there could be another 600 owls.

Unrelated, there are more wild turkeys in the U.S. today than there were in 1776.

There is so much bad news about the environment. Isn’t it good to hear some good news now and then? More owls at every turn. It’s a good thing.

Warm Car Days

I love warm car days. We’ve had two this week.

Warm car days are cold, sunny days. The best ones are about 30 and really windy – days where you walk across a parking lot to your car and you’re just freezing when you arrive.

Then you open your car, get in, and the sun has heated the inside to about 85. The heat is pretty intense and immediate. There’s no experience that is quite the same. You go from chilled to warm in 15 seconds. Then you start the car and drive.

I also love to drive with my windows rolled down. But more about that in the spring. On warm car days, I never roll down the window. Never.

Weddings

OK, I’m not afraid to admit it. I love weddings. And I love the receptions that follow.

On Saturday, Graylyn Kallam and Manny Rodrigues were married in an afternoon ceremony accompanied by a rare, January snow. I didn’t get to attend the ceremony because I was preparing to lead 5:21 Saturday – but I got to watch the prelims. The bride and her court posed for pictures and hammed it up for videos OUTSIDE. Guests arrived decked out in both formal and semi-formal wear.

Then, the reception afterward with the presentation of the bridal party and finally, the new husband and wife. There was great food, music, dancing and an air of celebration.

One reason I’ve come to love weddings so much is that, in a way, they are the last of the formal celebrations in which we engage as family and friends. There are still formal events. But weddings bring us together in a way that other events do not.

While I am about as informal as they come, I do miss that some of the formality that we used to cling to is gone. People go to performances in jeans and tennis shoes. Fewer and fewer of us (and I include myself in this group) dress up for church. We’re casual to the max. And while I love that, I do miss some of the pageantry that “dressing for the occasion” brings.

Weddings have been frozen in the old ways. And I love that.

A Snowy Morning

A Snowy Morning

Originally uploaded by chuckandaprill

Every year, we put our Christmas tree on the patio during January and February to give our songbirds some cover. I wonder what people who drive by in March and see a Christmas tree out for garbage collection think?

It’s a Snowy Morning

We woke up this morning to a light coating of snow on the ground and in the trees. It is a really beautiful snow.

Last night, I came home late from worship team rehearsal at church. The weather was still forecast to be 1-2 inches of snow, turning to rain. I told Aprill, “I hope they’re wrong about the snow.” She said, “you don’t want it to snow?” I replied, “no, I wish it would snow a foot.”

We didn’t get a foot – but we did get a nice, picturesque layer that just turned the world a little brighter.

One thing that I really love about snow is the mix between white and dark. Usually, snowy days are usually similar to dreary, rainy days. The sky is dark and overcast. And, it goes without saying, it’s always cold when it snows. But the difference is the white layer of frosting that adds brightness to everything.

In the south, it happens so rarely that it provides a nice visual break. I really love snowy mornings.

The Seasons of my Year

Spring? Summer? Winter? Autumn?

Nope. My year really has three seasons. There’s Patio Season (coming up – more on that later).

Then, there’s College Football Season (just passed – more on that later, too).

Finally, there’s American Idol Season which started last night. I love America Idol. The first year it was on, I didn’t even know what it was. Then, I got caught in the hype of the second season and I’ve been hooked since.

Now, for those of you who have watched it or not, here’s the deal. It’s a singing competition. It can take a lot of twists and turns – many of which are manufactured by the producers of the show. But in the end, it’s a singing competition. It’s not a “reality show.” It’s reality. (There is a huge difference.)

So, filter out the weirdos and those who are looking for one of their 15 minutes of fame and you get something that I love – people following their dream. For all of the fat guys in loin cloths or Princess Leia throwbacks, there’s the young woman, struggling with a genetically-damaged daughter, who just wants to provide better for her family. There’s the guy who wants people to be listening to his music 50 years after he’s dead.

It’s all about dreams, and dreams are never bad. I love to hear people’s dreams, and to see them chase after their dreams. I love when I’ve been able to follow and live my dreams. Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote “a hero born is a dreamer bred on earth and up in heaven.”

It’s American Idol season!

Rescuing Dogs

Aprill is such a cool wife. There is never a dull moment living with her.

Today, she (along with our friend Lisa) made her inaugural run as a transporter for ACES (Another Chance for English Setters). This group of people find and foster English Setters all over the country. Hunter is a six-year-old Setter who needed to get from Virginia to a foster home in Florida. So Aprill and a number of other people formed a human chain all the way down the eastern seaboard. She picked him up in Charlotte, and drove him to just north of Columbia, SC, where she handed him off to another transporter whose destination was Orangeburg…and another transporter.

Last word – Hunter’s made it to Florida already, and will be at his new foster home tonight.

It’s a good thing. A very, very good thing – to know that Hunter’s resting somewhere tonight in the hands of a new foster family, awaiting a forever home.

Aprill and Hunter

Aprill and Hunter

Originally uploaded by chuckandaprill

Aprill hands Hunter off on his trip from Virginia to Florida.